GV216-5-SP-CO:
Development, N.G.Os and Foreign Aid
2024/25
Government
Colchester Campus
Spring
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Monday 13 January 2025
Friday 21 March 2025
15
19 May 2022
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BA L900 International Development,
BA L901 International Development (Including Year Abroad),
BA L902 International Development (Including Placement Year),
BA L921 International Development (Including Foundation Year)
This module examines international development and foreign aid combining theory, empirics and practice.
In the first part of the module, we examine theories and concepts of development and the evaluation of development interventions. We then focus in on foreign aid.
The second part of the module examines the policies and politics of foreign aid from the perspective of donor countries, international organizations and recipient countries.
The third part of the module examines the, sometimes controversial, role of foreign aid in three issue areas: international security, migration and global health.
Throughout the module, we examine a range of N.G.O. development programmes and their outcomes and, finally, students are given a chance to develop a proposal for a development programme of their own.
This module aims to give students:
1. An introduction to theories and concepts of international development, including those used in practical settings by NGOs, intergovernmental organizations and researchers.
2. A multifaceted understanding of foreign aid, by examining three different perspectives: donor countries, intergovernmental organizations and international NGOs, and recipient countries.
3. An examination of important debates in foreign aid through the lens of three important issue areas.
By the end of this module, students will have:
1. A detailed understanding of key concepts and theories of international development.
2. A critical awareness of the various actors and perspectives in the study of international development.
3. Critical problem-solving skills applied to difficult issues in international development.
No additional information available.
1 x 2 hour seminar per week
- Martin Ravallion. (2003) 'The Debate on Globalization, Poverty and Inequality: Why Measurement Matters', in International Affairs. vol. 79 (4) , pp.739-753
- Sarah Blodgett BermeoDavid Leblang. (2015) 'Migration and Foreign Aid', in International. vol. 69 (3) , pp.627-657
- Gamso, Jonas; Yuldashev, Farhod. (2018-12-01) 'Targeted Foreign Aid and International Migration: Is Development-Promotion an Effective Immigration Policy?', in International Studies Quarterly. vol. 62 (4) , pp.809-820
- Neumayer, Eric. (2003) The pattern of aid giving: the impact of good governance on development assistance, London: Routledge. vol. 34
- Rodrik, Dani. (2006) 'Goodbye Washington Consensus, Hello Washington Confusion? A Review of the World Bank's Economic Growth in the 1990s: Learning from a Decade of Reform', in Journal of Economic Literature. vol. 44 (4) , pp.973-987
- de Haas, Hein. (2007-09) 'Turning the Tide? Why Development Will Not Stop Migration', in Development and Change. vol. 38 (5) , pp.819-841
- Kuziemko, Ilyana; Werker, Eric. (2006-10) 'How Much Is a Seat on the Security Council Worth? Foreign Aid and Bribery at the United Nations', in Journal of Political Economy. vol. 114 (5) , pp.905-930
- Brown, Stephen; Grävingholt, Jörn; Raddatz, Rosalind. (2016) 'The Securitization of Foreign Aid: Trends, Explanations and Prospects', in The Securitization of Foreign Aid, London: Palgrave Macmillan UK., pp.237-255
- Bräutigam, Deborah A.; Segarra, Monique. (1990) 'Difficult Partnerships: The World Bank, States, and NGOs', in Latin American Politics and Society. vol. 49 (4) , pp.149-181
- (2002) 'Do Corrupt Governments Receive Less Foreign Aid?', in The American Economic Review.
- Haynes, Jeffrey. (2008) Development studies, Cambridge, UK: Polity.
- Peinhardt, Clint; Sandler, Todd. (2015) Transnational cooperation: an issue-based approach, New York: Oxford University Press.
- Evaluation in the Practice of Development, http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.847.9076&rep=rep1&type=pdf
- Simmons, P.J. (1998) 'Learning to live with NGOs', in Foreign Policy. (112) , pp.82-96
- Easterly, William. (2002) 'How Did Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Become Heavily Indebted? Reviewing Two Decades of Debt Relief', in World Development. vol. 30 (10) , pp.1677-1696
- Alesina, Alberto; Dollar, David. (2000) 'Who Gives Foreign Aid to Whom and Why?', in Journal of Economic Growth. vol. 5 (1) , pp.33-63
- Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo. (2007) 'The Economic Lives of the Poor', in The Journal of Economic Perspectives. vol. 21, pp.141-168
- Easterly, William. (2003) 'Can Foreign Aid Buy Growth?', in The Journal of Economic Perspectives. vol. 17 (3) , pp.23-48
- Berthélemy, Jean-Claude; Beuran, Monica; Maurel, Mathilde. (2009-10) 'Aid and Migration: Substitutes or Complements?', in World Development. vol. 37 (10) , pp.1589-1599
- Karns, Margaret P.; Mingst, Karen A.; Stiles, Kendall W. (2015) International organizations: the politics and processes of global governance, Boulder, Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc.
- Robeyns, Ingrid. (2006-09) 'The Capability Approach in Practice*', in Journal of Political Philosophy. vol. 14 (3) , pp.351-376
- Arndt, Channing; Tarp, Finn. (2017-05) 'Aid, Environment and Climate Change', in Review of Development Economics. vol. 21 (2) , pp.285-303
- Burnside, Craig; Dollar, David. (2000) 'Aid, Policies, and Growth', in The American Economic Review. vol. 90 (4) , pp.847-868
- (no date) Learning how to learn: eight lessons for impact evaluations that make a difference..
- Joshua William Busby. (2007) 'Bono Made Jesse Helms Cry: Jubilee 2000, Debt Relief, and Moral Action in International Politics', in International Studies Quarterly. vol. 51 (2) , pp.247-275
- Alkire, Sabina. (2010) 'Human Development: Definitions, Critiques, and Related Concepts', in Human Development Research Papers: Oxford Policy & Human Development Initiative (OPHI).
- Radelet, Steven. (2003) 'Bush and Foreign Aid', in Foreign. vol. 82 (5) , pp.104-1172003
- Easterly, William. (2001-11) 'Debt Relief', in Foreign Policy. (127) , pp.20-
- (no date) The Impact of the War on Terror on Aid Flows.
- Birdsall, Nancy; Rodrik, Dani; Subramanian, Arvind. (2005) 'How to Help Poor Countries', in Foreign Affairs. vol. 84 (4) , pp.136-
- Collier, Paul; EBSCOhost ebook collection. (2007) The bottom billion: why the poorest countries are failing and what can be done about it, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Hertz, Noreena. (2005) 'Why We Must Defuse The Debt Threat', in Contributions to Political Economy. vol. 24 (1) , pp.123-133
- Hübler, Michael. (2017-02) 'The Future of Foreign Aid in a Globalizing World with Climate Change', in Global Policy. vol. 8 (1) , pp.41-51
- Sachs J; Center for International Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 79 John F. Kennedy St., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.Malaney P. (2002) 'The economic and social burden of malaria.', in Nature. vol. 415 (6872) , pp.680-5
- Starrs, Ann M. (2017-02) 'The Trump global gag rule: an attack on US family planning and global health aid', in The Lancet. vol. 389 (10068) , pp.485-486
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course. The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students. Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Critical Summary |
|
30% |
| Coursework |
Topic and literature review for Concept note |
|
30% |
| Coursework |
Concept Note |
|
40% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Miranda Simon, email: miranda.simon@essex.ac.uk.
Dr. Miranda Simon
Module Supervisor: Miranda Simon - miranda.simon@essex.ac.uk /
Module Administrator: Jasini Hobbs - govquery@essex.ac.uk
Yes
Yes
No
Dr Edward Morgan-Jones
University of Kent
Reader in Comparative Politics
Available via Moodle
Of 20 hours, 20 (100%) hours available to students:
0 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).
Government
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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